Thulani Njili (pictured), manager of Rebels FC under-18, has taken a dig at the proverbial peanut gallery after “justice was served” in their case against Rock-A-Fellas.
According to Njili they were mocked, shamed and labelled as guilty on social media by many who did not know the details of the case.
“Where are the ones who fabricated all the lies,” Njili asked rhetorically. “They owe us an apology. It is a great day as justice was served,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rock-A-Fellas’ media liaison Riaan Johnson stated that they are bound to accept the outcome in accordance with the SAFA Disciplinary Code and “committed ourselves to it during the process.”
Rebels will now face Khayelitsha FC to determine who will face Antalyaspor FC in the semi-final on Sunday
It must be said that the Mitchell Plain LFA has shown a lot of maturity in this matter as things could easily have taken a turn for the worse especially after it was not ruled in their favour.
Johnson explained to No Bones with Jones: “Our experience within the club as well as guidance from our LFA Executive enabled us to act in a mature manner to maintain the integrity of our club and LFA.”
The dispute arose when Rock-A-Fellas lost the cup tie by 0-1 to Rebels played at the Rooikrans Sport Complex in Grassy Park on 8 September 2024. The former, who is the complainant in the case, alleges that Rebels (respondent) fielded two ineligible players in Ezile Gotyombe and Ayakha Mbedlashe.
Against Gotyombe it is alleged that he is a cup-tied player (playing for multiple clubs in one tournament), Rebels, Clover FC, City Bombers and Y2K amongst other clubs.
The complainant further alleges that Gotyombe played in the Coca-Cola Cup Round 32 for City Bombers/Y2K against Eagles Performance Academy (EPA).
Against Ayakha, the complainant alleges that the players used another player’s card.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
One Response
Roccafellas you can walk with your head held high, you presented your proofs and evidence which exposed Thulani Njili and his club Rebels. SAFA made a decision based on evidence, ruling in favour of Fellas (which was the right decision)…then along comes the arbitration and overturns and overules SAFA’s verdict, how the abitrator came to their conclusion is beyond comprehension (was the evidence proofs and facts all just discarded…???) In my view the arbitraitor has opened a can of worms by only punishing the guilty player / players and not the manager and club. The message is now loud and clear that it’s Ok to cheat any which way be it overage / unregistered / playing under false name, there are and will be no consequences because you will still be allowed to progress to the next round. Today was a sad day for junior football and the Coke Cup. I only now hope they (Rebels) go on and win the cup which will expose them even further and set social media ablaze. As for the arbitraitors I just have two questions…how did you come to your verdict given the evidence provided and how difficult is it to do the right thing…???